Today’s dance scene that I love comes from the 1981 cult classic, Strange Behavior. This scene proves that every horror films needs a totally random dance sequence.
Tag Archives: dance
Dance Scenes I Love: “America” from West Side Story
There’s no way that I could ever write about the dance scenes that I love without including at least one scene from 1961’s best picture winner, West Side Story.
Sadly, people tend to underappreciate West Side Story. They focus on the fact that the singing voices of Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer are overdubbed by Marni Nixon and Jimmy Bryant, respectively. They laugh at the sight of “tough” street kids dancing around and singing that when you’re a jet, you’re the best.
Well, they’re wrong.
West Side Story is still one of the best musicals ever made and every time I see it, it’s a magical experience for me.
I think my favorite number from the film remains America. Watching this scene, you can tell why both Rita Moreno and George Chakiris won Academy Awards for their performances. They both bring a lot of fire and passion to their roles and nowhere is that more apparent then in America.
Dance Scenes I Love: Cyd Charisse in Silk Stockings
Today’s dance scene that I love comes from the 1957 musical Silk Stockings.
This is a special scene for me because it features one of my favorite dancers, the legendary Cyd Charisse. Many years ago, before I discovered that I wanted to be a writer, I dreamed of growing up and being a beautiful and talented dancer like Cyd Charisse.
In Silk Stockings, Cyd Charisse plays a humorless Russian who, when she comes to Paris discovers that life doesn’t have to be drab and boring. She discovers the joy of freedom and what better to express freedom than through dance?
Dance Scenes I Love: Channing and Jenna in Step Up
Today’s dance scene that I love comes from 2006’s Step Up and it proves the importance of chemistry between dancers. Watching this scene, it’s easy to see how Jenna Dewan and Channing Tatum became a couple after filming it.
Dance Scenes I Love: The Finale From Center Stage
Today’s dance scene that I love comes from 2000’s Center Stage.
Center Stage is one of those films that can be fairly criticized for a lot of reasons but — oh my God, y’all — I used to love this movie so much! Actually, I still do because every time I watch it, I feel like I’m 15 years old again and I’m just so in love with dancing and performing that I can’t even begin to put it into words. I think everyone has a film that they irrationally love because it reminds them of a certain time, place, or state-of-mind. For me, Center Stage is that film.
The scene below is a long one and the video is not the best quality but I still love it because it captures the excitement of both dancing and of being on stage. Add to that, I’d love to be in that show… (I look good in both black and red.)
Dance Scenes I Love: House of The Devil
Today’s dance scene that I love comes from Ti West’s 2009 horror classic House of the Devil.
I love this scene because I usually do the exact same thing whenever I have the house to myself.
Dance Scenes I Love: Cinema Italiano From Nine
Today’s dance scene that I love comes from the 2009 musical Nine.
To be honest, Nine is a terrible film that almost plays like it was specifically designed to parody flashy but superficial musicals. However, Nine is meant to be taken seriously and that’s is its greatest failure. Cinema Italiano is one of Nine’s better-known songs, despite the fact that, in many ways, it epitomizes a lot of what’s wrong with the film as a whole. For one thing, it’s obvious, from the lyrics, that the song’s writer knows very little about Italian cinema. (If anything, it sounds like the song was meant to describe the French new wave.)
And yet, I have to admit that I love the scene where Kate Hudson performs Cinema Italiano. I think it’s because, even though Hudson is not a great singer, she so throws herself into her performance that she wins the viewers over. This is the epitome of a guilty pleasure, a scene that I shouldn’t love and yet I do.
Dance Scenes I Love: Money From Cabaret
When I decided that I was going to post a series of dance scenes that I love, I knew I’d have to include at least one scene from Cabaret.
But which scene?
Bob Fosse’s 1972 film is a treasure trove for those of us who love dance.
In the end, I went with Money because it’s true.
Money does make the world go around.
Dance Scenes That I Love: Anna Karenina
Hi everyone!
Starting today, I am officially on vacation!
However, though I’ll be away for two weeks, I’m not going to let that stop me from sharing my thoughts here on the Shattered Lens. What can I say? I love film, I love this site, and, most importantly, I love our readers.
Now, if you know me, you know that I also love to dance.
So, I figured, why not combine my greatest loves? For then next two weeks, I will be sharing a special set of scenes that I love. These are some of my favorite dance scenes.
I’d like to start things off by sharing a scene from my favorite film of 2012. This deliriously romantic dance scene comes from Joe Wright’s brilliant adaptation of Anna Karenina and features Keira Knightley and Aaron Taylor-Johnson.
Enjoy!
Dance Scenes That I Love: Simon Zealotes/Poor Jerusalem from Jesus Christ Superstar
Today, Arleigh and Pantsukudasai have left town to attend the Anime Expo and I find myself momentarily alone here at the TSL Bunker, curled up on the couch in my beloved Pirates t-shirt and Hello Kitty panties, and cursing my asthma. As I lay here, it occurs to me that it’s been a while since I’ve shared a “scene that I love” here on the site. So, why not rectify that situation now?
Norman Jewison’s 1972 film version of Jesus Christ Superstar is a film that I’ve been meaning to review for a while but for now, I just want to share my favorite scene from that film, the performance of Simon Zealotes/Poor Jerusalem.
There’s several reasons I love that scene but mostly it just comes down to the fact that it captures the explosive energy that comes from watching a live performance. Larry Marshall (who plays Simon Zealotes) has one of the most fascinating faces that I’ve ever seen in film and when he sings, he sings as if the fate of the entire world depends on it. That said, I’ve never been sold on Ted Neely’s performance as Jesus but Carl Anderson burns with charisma in the role of Judas.
Mostly, however, I just love the choreography and watching the dancers. I guess that’s not that surprising considering just how important dance was (and still is, even if I’m now just dancing for fun) in my life but, to be honest, I’m probably one of the most hyper critical people out there when it comes to dance in film, regarding both the the way that it’s often choreographed and usually filmed. But this scene is probably about as close to perfect in both regards as I’ve ever seen. It goes beyond the fact that the dancers obviously have a lot of energy and enthusiasm and that they all look good while dancing. The great thing about the choreography in this scene is that it all feels so spontaneous. There’s less emphasis on technical perfection and more emphasis on capturing emotion and thought through movement. What I love is that the number is choreographed to make it appear as if not all of the dancers in this scene are on the exact same beat. Some of them appear to come in a second or two late, which is something that would have made a lot of my former teachers and choreographers scream and curse because, far too often, people become so obsessed with technical perfection that they forget that passion is just as important as perfect technique. (I’m biased, of course, because I’ve always been more passionate than perfect.) The dancers in this scene have a lot of passion and it’s thrilling to watch.
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